M1A2 SEP
| This page is about the American main battle tank M1A2 SEP. For other versions, see M1 Abrams (Family). For other uses, see M1 (Disambiguation). |
Contents
Mobility
The M1A2 SEP uses 1,519 horsepower AGT-1500 gas turbine like previous Abrams variants, the tank has gained an additional 0.5 tons of weight from M1A2, putting the total mass of the tank at 62.2 tonnes. This causes a slight change from M1A2 which means that commanders should expect the vehicle to respond a bit slower to movement commands compared to previous modifications. However, the tank retains the same 68 km/h top speed and 40 km/h reverse speed as the M1A2 and is still fairly mobile. Without upgrades, the hull traverse is slow and acceleration is lacking as with previous Abrams, however those issues can be remedied by upgrading the tracks, filters, engine and transmission modifications.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | AoA | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | |
| Arcade | 76 | 43 | 58.9 | 3.25 | 2,058 | 2,898 | 34.91 | 46.59 |
| Realistic | 69 | 39 | 1,343 | 1,519 | 22.78 | 24.42 | ||
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The M1A2 SEP is armed with the 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun which can also be found on the M1A2, the M1A1 and the M1A1 HC, and has access to the same APFSDS and HEATFS ammunition as the M1A2.
As with the previous Abrams tanks, the M1A2 SEP's gun handles very well, with an excellent stabilizer that can be used to accurately fire at any speed and having a quick turret traverse. The gun has good depression and elevation angles which are the same as previous Abrams; negative 10 and positive 20 degrees respectively. An aced crew can reload the gun in six seconds which is the same as previous Abrams, on par with the Leopard 2s but slower than the Challenger 2s, Type 90s, TKX, and Type 10.
| 120 mm M256 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 42 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 38.1 | 52.7 | 64.0 | 70.8 | 75.3 | 7.80 | 6.90 | 6.36 | 6.00 |
| Realistic | 23.8 | 28.0 | 34.0 | 37.6 | 40.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| M830 | HEATFS | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 |
| M830A1 | HEAT MP | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| M829 | APFSDS | 491 | 488 | 481 | 473 | 464 | 454 |
| M829A2 | APFSDS | 629 | 627 | 619 | 610 | 601 | 590 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M830 | HEATFS | 1,140 | 13.1 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 2.36 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
| M829 | APFSDS | 1,670 | 4.27 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
| M829A2 | APFSDS | 1,680 | 4.92 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M830A1 | HEAT MP | 1,410 | 11.4 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 400 | 10 | 1.99 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 37 (+5) | 19 (+23) | 1 (+41) | No |
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 200 (200) | 577 | N/A | N/A |
| Pintle (commander) | 1,000 (200) | 577 | -9°/+20° | -10°/+170° |
| 7.62 mm M240 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle (loader) | 1,400 (200) | 941 | -9°/+65° | -100°/-10° |
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Depleted uranium composite armour layout in the frontal turret cheeks makes it extremely resistant from most munitions in the game
- The M830A1 HEAT-FS shell can be effective at destroying helicopters and aircraft through proximity detonation
- 2nd generation thermal sights for the commander, gunner and driver; an upgrade from previous Abrams series tanks
- Like with other Abrams series tanks, it has good crew survivability
- M829 APFSDS modification unlocked at tier 1
- Powerful M829A2 APFSDS shell with excellent ballistics and penetration properties
- Optional TUSK kit is available on the M1A2 SEP, coating the tank in ERA on the hull sides and increasing its chemical protection as well as adding an additional .50 cal HMG over the gun mantlet that can be fired by the gunner similar to Israeli MBTs
Cons:
- Numerous weak spots in the armour layout:
- Large and poorly armoured turret ring
- Hits to the highly angled upper frontal plate will likely cause the incoming shell to ricochet into aforementioned poorly armoured turret ring, creating a massive weak spot exploitable even by low rank 5 tanks
- Like with most high-rank MBTs, the gun mantlet is poorly armoured and creates an easy way to disable the cannon breech
- The lower front plate is huge and has poor protection (~400 mm protection)
- The engine deck is slightly raised, meaning that the gun cannot be depressed over the rear of the tank
- High penetration APFSDS shells such as the Leopard 2A6's DM53 can still penetrate the turret cheeks at short ranges and at the right angle
- The M1A2 SEP is the least manoeuvrable Abrams in the game due to its weight of 62.2 tons, with an additional 3.25 tons of weight if the TUSK kit is equipped
- The stock HEAT-FS shell is very difficult to use at top rank battles as nearly all tanks the M1A2 faces has high levels of chemical protection and/or is coated in ERA. This leaves flank shots as the only option to deal damage, which in itself isn't the most reliable due to many tanks having high all-round chemical protection
History
In September 1994, just one month prior to the delivery of the first M1A1 HC, which would subsequently evolve into the M1A2, General Dynamic Land Systems was awarded a contract to conduct studies on the development of a modernization package for the upcoming M1A2. The work was intended to study the possibilities of equipping the M1A2 with the latest technology in the areas of firepower, protection and digital assets.
Becoming known as the System Enhancement Package (SEP), the upgrade was envisioned as a whole new production standard for newly produced units as well as being a refit for previously built ones. In 1995, the requirements for the upgrade package were formulated and the production contract was awarded to General Dynamic in 2001, with production lasting up until 2004.
While the M1A2 SEP was still in production, experiences from the US Invasion of Iraq unveiled in 2003 the vulnerability of tanks in urban combat environments. In response to this, American engineers designed the 'Tank Urban Survival Kit' (TUSK). It used readily available components to provide a substantial protection upgrade for M1 Abrams tanks, which could be flexibly fitted onto the vehicles by troops in the field, depending on mission requirements. In 2006, a total of over 500 of such kits were ordered and by 2008 all of the M1 Abrams stationed in Iraq were fitted with this modification.
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